Infrastructure plan needed to stop UK slowing

From gridlocked roads to crowded railways, slower broadband connections and worsening air quality, the state of infrastructure risks holding the UK back, a major report warns today.

The National Infrastructure Commission says chronic capacity issues - especially in major cities - will lead growth to fall across the country without an urgent plan to meet future challenges.

Overcrowding on peak rail services in London rose 45 per cent between 2011 and 2016. Meanwhile, speeds on inner city roads in the capital fell by up to 12 per cent between 2012 to 2015, the Commission said.

It comes as Mayor Sadiq Khan travels to Birmingham today to meet with metro area mayors - for Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, the West of England and Peterborough & Cambridgeshire - to discuss the need for investment in 21st-century infrastructure across UK cities.

In London, Crossrail 2 is seen as key for unlocking future economic growth, both for transport capacity and in contributing to regeneration, such as ambitious targets for building affordable homes.

“Excellent quality, modern infrastructure underpins everything we do as a country and without a clear plan for future investment, London and the UK will falter,” the Mayor said.

“However, we cannot afford for new infrastructure investment in any one region to be seen as a zero-sum game - if Britain’s economy is to succeed we need to see increased investment across the country.”